War! Huh! What is it Good For?

Read Ephesians 6:10 - 20

War is a frightening thing.  If you have ever lived or served during a major war or conflict you know the level of terror involved in warfare.  For those of you who have served in the military (especially on the front lines) you know better than anyone of us the importance of having the proper equipment and training when engaged in battle.  You know the necessity of wearing a helmet, keeping a weapon nearby, and knowing how to use it.  Before one is sent off into battle he is given the necessary equipment and training to both help and protect in the midst of battle.  

We are all in a battle.  It may not be modern physical warfare but we are in a spiritual battle.  Since this is the case I believe it is necessary to have the necessary equipment and training while engaged in this battle.  The passage above gives us a look at the battle gear you and I have at our disposal as we engage in and use for protection in the spiritual battle.  This gear (just like a soldier going to war) is available to use it.  The first thing Paul tells us to do in this battle requires human action!!!  We must PUT ON THE ARMOR!  We will not be protected if we just have the armor sitting off to the side and we never put it on!  The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to put on the armor so we can stand against the schemes of the devil.  He refers to the works of Satan as the schemes as a reminder that he has mastered the craft of trickery and deception.  The Bible tells us that Satan masquerades himself as an angel of light.  He is a first class deceiver and he’s good at it.  So Paul tells us to put on the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD and not just a few select pieces we think we need so we may be protected by the master deceiver.  Each piece of the armor serves a purpose and is vital to have in order for us to be fully protected and engaged.

As we look at the spiritual armor I would like to note that the armor serves a twofold purpose.  The armor serves first as defense (protection against the attacks) and serves as a means of offense (engaging in the battle and progressing forward).  This is important for us to understand because we can never be victorious in battle if we are only on the defensive and never on the offensive.  There is a time to protect and defend and there are times to divide and conquer.  

We will look at the armor in the next post...